The Effects of Prolonged Sub‐toxic Lithium Ingestion on Pregnancy in Rats

Effect of lithium on flagellar length in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

“…Li+ inhibits the motility of mammalian sperm flagella (3,5,18), echinoderm sperm flagella (2) and molluscan gill cilia (14). We observed that 5 mM Li+ blocked flagellar motility in C. reinhardtii (unpublished result).…”

Structural Effects and Neurofunctional Sequelae of Developmental Exposure to Psychotherapeutic Drugs: Experimental and Clinical Aspects

“…Observations of developmental toxicity, which includes, among others, increased prenatal mortality, decreased weight, nephrotoxicity, and skeletal abnormalities, are in agreement with pharmacokinetic data, which show that lithium is readily absorbed and distributed in fluids and tissues (Stokinger, 1981). The dose-response curve for lithium toxicity in rodents appears relatively steep (Trautner et al, 1958;Mroczka et al, 1983), and damaging effects occur throughout the dose range. An in vitro study has shown that explanted embryos from rats or mice are vulnerable to primary lithium toxicity in the absence of any confounding maternal factors (Hansen et al, 1990).…”

Ion Men and Their Mettle

“…Similarly, another paper, published in 1956 by Gershon and Trautner, alluded to its prophylactic potential but the issue of lithium specifi city was engulfed by a greater interest in its safety and tolerability [20]. A number of Australian studies at the time examined and reported on lithium toxicity [21] and even investigated its potential teratogenicity in rats [22]. The response in the UK to Cade's publication was modest and slow, with the fi rst British report of lithium use for the effective treatment of mania appearing in 1956 [23].…”